Escape the Night: A Nation Divided
by Dede42
Summary: The tension between Alex and Destorm is coming to a head. But when two warring armies appear on the estate, the YouTubers will have to split up into two teams in order to obtain the next gem. Who will win and who will die?
1. PROLOGUE: NEVER-ENDING WAR

Escape the Night: A Nation Divided

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the __Night!_

Yes, it's later then I would normally post, but I was at a ballgame with one of my sisters, and I'm exhausted. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**PROLOGUE: NEVER-ENDING WAR**

During the Civil War, there were many battles fought, won, and lost on both sides, but there was a battle that took place between the Confederates and an _entirely_ different army that isn't recorded in the history books.

This battle was still ongoing centuries later…or so certain people believe and consider to be possible.

These also tend to be the same people who believe that our world has also been visited by ancient aliens in the past.

Who knows, they could be right.

* * *

Moving through the woods of Virginia, a Confederate officer named Cash was leading his men toward the sounds of screaming and the loud slicing of blades that were quick to silent the screaming, and they stopped only when an eerie green light shined behind a tree a few feet away, and, after a few seconds, it quickly disappeared.

Soon four men, all Asian, came out with their leader was carrying the head of a red-haired man, who had an expression of horror frozen forever on his face, in his grip and the leader had a grim expression on his face.

"Sweet Mary, mother of God," Cash muttered with both a chuckle and a slight smile, recognizing the head of what had once been their captain.

"That's the captain!" one of the confederate soldiers yelped. "We gotta go! We gotta go!" He grabbed Cash's shoulder, trying to drag with him. "We gotta – come on! Come on!"

Cash shoved him away. "No, no," he snapped, readying his rifle and aimed it at the Dark Army leader. "I'm making a _stand_." He fired the gun and hit the Dark Army leader in the chest, knocking him to the ground, and the head fell from his nerveless hand.

As Cash reloaded his rifle, his eyes widened with shock when a strange green energy appeared and healed the wound, repairing the armor at the same time.

Gasping as he was restored to life, the Dark Army leader leapt to his feet and, with an expression of annoyance on his face that made it clear that he _really _hated when that happen, charged after Cash, who fought back while his men tried to run, only for them all to be killed, and he found himself face-to-face with the Dark Army leader.

"How long will you resist us?" the Dark Army leader demanded.

Cash pulled out two pistols, aiming one at the Dark Army leader and a different member of the Dark Army. "Forever," he declared and fired both guns.

* * *

No one knows what happen to Cash or his men, only that their bodies were never found, and in time, any trace of the battle fought that night was lost to time.

But there are those who believe that this battle actually _did _take place, that the two armies are still fighting, and that the fight between the two armies is still ongoing…even today.

* * *

A/N: I know, I know, it's short, but I will post the first chapter on Wednesday. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	2. Chapter 1: CREEPY VOICES!

Escape the Night: A Nation Divided

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!

It's time for the first chapter and to see what will happen next to the YouTubers. Also, today the season finale for Season 4 of _Escape the Night_ is going to be posted, and if you happen to see it before I do, please don't post any spoilers in the reviews. Thank you. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE: CREEPY VOICES!**

It'd been thirty minutes since the Sorceress' evil laugh had faded away, but the group was still rattled and were looking around uneasily. For the past few hours they had dealt with kidnappings, vampires, and just recently a spider-woman in order to find the gems that would lead them to the Crown of Oblivion. They hoped to use it to get back to 2017, but the cost to find the gems has already left Lauren and Jesse both dead, and they still had seven gems left to find.

"Where did that laugh come from?" Alex demanded.

"Honestly," Joey said grimly, "I think that was the Sorceress."

"She's probably spying on us with her dark magic," Dawn guessed, shivering at the thought.

Tyler's eyes widened with fear. "Is this, like, a _game _to her?"

"I'm _hungry__!_" Gabbie suddenly announced and they all stared at her like she'd gone mental. "Seriously, I'm _hungry_."

Andrea shook her head and changed the subject in order to break the awkward silence that'd fallen over them. "She said 'at midnight' is when something's gonna happen."

"But what could that change be?" Artie wondered.

"Probably something bad," Ernie guessed.

Tana moaned at the thought. "But midnight is so _soon__!_"

Joey examined the gem map, particularly the spot that the next gem would be placed, and noted the small symbol above it. "What _is_ that?" he wondered.

Alex peered at the symbol. "Oh. It's an axe and a gun."

"Oh!" Joey exclaimed. "Good eyes!"

"So somebody's gonna have to fight," Alex added and curled his fingers into fists. "Lauren's gone." He pointed at DeStorm, and his body was shaking with a potent mixture of grief and hatred. "Because of _you._"

DeStorm opened his mouth to retort, but Dawn cut him off.

"DeStorm, I _swear_ to God that if you say that Lauren deserved to die," she warned him, "I will _hit_ you across the face again."

Before anything else could be said on the subject, Alison revealed a scroll from behind the bar. "I found this on the doorstep at the beginning of the night," she informed them, handing the scroll to Joey.

While Tyler was wondering why Alison was holding back stuff like that, Joey opened the scroll, which was a propaganda flyer, blazing with black and red letters, and he read it aloud. "'To arms! Your country needs you! Open the key to freedom! Helm the ship of fury! The Dark Army has taken our land. Obedience required. Behind enemy lines, a terrifying enemy waits. The South will stand forever! $300 bounty. Join the face of freedom'."

Alex peered at the scroll and found a message that'd been missed the first time. "Let's read the red," he suggested.

Joey nodded and read only the red words on the scroll. "'Key to helm of obedience behind terrifying face'."

Gabbie suddenly pointed to a creepy portrait that was behind Liza. "Her face!"

"Hey," Liza protested, frowning. "That is _not_ terrifying."

"She means the portrait behind you, Liza," Dawn informed her, nodding to the male figure whose milk-white face looked like it was being sucked away into darkness. "Let's see what's behind it."

Joey removed the portrait and on the back of the portrait was a key, which he removed, and there was a tag on the key. "Green room?"

"Yeah," said Tyler, "there's a room over there that's green."

* * *

The group headed down the hallway to the green room when some drawers nearby started to slam open and shut, and a demonic voice laughed and spoke._ `"__This way__!"`_ They screamed and ran for their lives, nearly running each other over, for the green room. As they ran, the demonic voice kept telling them to go to the green room until they finally reached it, and the voice stopped.

"That was _terrifying,_" Joey gasped.

"_Really_ terrifying," Dawn agreed, eyes wide with fear.

Tyler pointed at the key in Joey's hand. "What does that thing say?" he asked between breaths.

Joey checked the tag and shrugged. "It just says 'green room.'"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" said Andrea. "You have a key?"

Joey nodded. "Yeah."

Just then, they noticed that there was a chest waiting for them. As Joey used the key to open it, Tana hugged herself in an effort to soothe her frazzled nerves. "This just keeps getting scarier and scarier."

Joey opened the chest and reached inside, pulling out a freaky-looking black/gold helmet with two strange horns, and it was clear to them that _this _was the Helm of Obedience to the group. "What the…?"

"Someone's gonna have to fight," Alex realized.

Tana nodded, her heart in her mouth. "Someone's fighting."

Dawn peered into the chest and found a note, which she pulled out. "'The Helm of Obedience'," she read. "'Its wearer must surrender their will to the voice of the Dark Army if they wish to proceed'." She made a face. "Sounds like mind control to me."

"So who wants to do it?" Andrea wondered.

Liza shrugged. "I got a small head."

"I'll do it," Joey said, and before they could stop him, he put it on his head, strapping it into place. "Is it a good look?" he asked and some of them agreed.

Dawn, however, was covering her face with her hand and sighing in exasperation. "Joey…"

_`"Hello, Joey,"`_ said a male demonic voice, making Joey jump, spooking the others.

"It's talking to me!" Joey squeaked, his eyes wide with shock and fear.

Dawn gulped. "It – it's _really_ talking to you?" she asked uneasily and he nodded. "Oh boy…"

"Shut _up,_" Andrea said in disbelief.

"You hear it?" Alex asked, interested. "Listen."

Joey nodded and he did listen when the demonic voice spoke again, giving him instructions. _`"You must follow my instructions without fail, or your life will be forfeit. Do you understand?"`_ He didn't answer, but he was _seriously_ beginning to regret his decision of putting the helm on.

_`"Do you understand?!"`_ the demonic voice demanded angrily.

"_Yes!_" Joey yelped. "I understand! Omigod."

"Joey, what is it saying to you?" Dawn asked, her concern growing.

Joey gulped. "It's telling me that I have to follow its' instructions without fail, or – or my life will forfeit and I had to confirm that I understood it. Oh! It's talking again."

_`"__Tell your friends to follow you__."`_

Joey gulped again and he gestured to the group. "It says to follow…" he stammered, heading for the door. "Follow me." And his friends followed him, and while Tyler was wondering _why_ they had to follow him, Alex pointed out that they needed to surrender control to proceed while DeStorm thought it was a dumb idea.

"Well, _no one_ asked you, DeStorm," Dawn snapped. "Come on." And she followed after Joey, not wanting to let him out of her sight while he had the helmet on, and their friends reluctantly followed.

* * *

A/N: Oh boy, anyone else think Joey putting on the Helm of Obedience like that was a bad idea? I will see you all tomorrow with the next chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	3. Chapter 2: FOLLOWING ORDERS

Escape the Night: A Nation Divided

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the __Night!_

Man, I'm still wigging out a bit over how the Season 4 finale for the series ended. Anyway, if you haven't watched it, then go and watch it. Onward

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO: FOLLOWING ORDERS**

_`"Walk down the hallway."`_

Joey walked down the hallway with his friends following him, even DeStorm to an extent, and when they reached the foyer, the demonic voice spoke to him again.

_`"__Go up to the top of the stairs _alone_."`_

Joey was relieved that his friends wouldn't have to go upstairs with him, but that also had him worried. "Stay here," he instructed his friends while he headed for the staircase. "Stay here."

"Are you sure, Joey?" Dawn asked uneasily and even Alex was looking concerned.

Joey nodded, heading up the stairs. "Yeah, stay here." And the demonic voice kept giving him instructions to follow, and the only way he could do this was by tuning out the voices of his friends, which wasn't easy, but he managed to do it.

* * *

_`"Keep walking. Walk forward."`_

By this point, Joey had reached the top of the stairs. "Ok," he muttered, seeing a room ahead of him with something inside it, and when the demonic voice ordered him to walk forward, he did soon, discovering that the thing inside the room was a case.

_"__You will see a case on the floor."`_

"I see it."

_`"Open it!"`_

Joey opened the case and his eyes widened when he saw Jesse's gun inside. "Oh…" he moaned and when the demonic voice ordered him to pick it up, he did so, not liking how cold and heavy it felt in his hand. _'Oh, Jesse, I wish you weren't dead right now.'_

_`"Now, go back downstairs to your friends,"`_ the demonic voice ordered._ `"__You can handle _this_."`_ And it began laughing coldly as he turned to face his friends below, and he felt a stab of fear in his heart when he saw their alarmed expressions at the sight of the gun in his hand. He went back down the stairs, wishing that he'd _never_ put the stupid helmet on while his friends all muttered and watched him warily.

"What is he doing with Jesse's gun?" Alex wondered.

"I don't know," Dawn admitted, seeing the terror in Joey's eyes, and she had a nasty feeling that the helmet was going to order him to do something that would probably break her friend's heart…_again_. "Guys, get behind me," she ordered and they did so, except for Gabbie, who remained by her side.

_`"__Now point that gun at your friends__."`_

Joey swallowed and shut his eyes as he raised the gun, pointing it at his friends, and he could hear them panicking, some of them were pleading with him _not_ to shoot them, and then he heard Dawn's voice, which he focused on.

"Joey, whatever happens," she said in a voice that was surprisingly calm, "remember, it's the _helmet_ that's making you do this. _Remember that_."

'_I'll do my best, Donny,'_ Joey thought, focusing on that one voice and hoping that she was right.

"Do you think he heard you?" Gabbie whispered to Dawn as they kept the others behind them, and she was aware of DeStorm sliding away a bit, as if to distant himself from the group for some reason.

Dawn shrugged. "I hope so," she responded, keeping her eyes on their friend. "If he doesn't do what the voice says, he'll die, and with mind control, _anything_ can happen."_ 'Yeah, most of my experience concerning mind control comes from the shows and movies I've acted in, but still, I hope Joey can hear me.'_

_`"__You cannot hesitate with this next action,"`_the Helm hissed as Joey blocked out the sound of his friends begging for their lives, but not Dawn's voice, he refused to ignore her, _"or your life will be over. Do you understand__?"`_ He nodded, fully expecting to have to kill one of his friends, and so when the demonic voice gave him the next set of instructions, it came as both a surprise _and_ a relief._ `"__I want you to open the door, step out onto the porch, and shoot the first man you see__."`_

Letting out a breath that he hadn't been aware of holding, Joey opened his eyes and headed for the front door, confusing the others, but they were also relieved that they weren't going to be shot, and they hurried after him as he went to the front door._ 'Ok, my friends are going to live,'_ he thought.

"Why is he going to to the door?" Andrea wondered.

"Must be what the helmet told him to do," Dawn guessed, watching as Joey opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.

Just then, a man in a grey uniform ran out of the bushes, aiming a rifle at Joey, who immediately shot him with the gun, surprising the group, and he could hear his friends freaking out _big time_._ 'Better a stranger then one of my friends,'_ he thought to himself, hoping that he would believe it…in time.

_`"Take the bugle from his side,"`_ the demonic voice ordered and Joey headed down the steps to the dead body, pulling the bugle off the man's belt, and he said sorry to the dead man. _`"__Go to the back of the foyer and stand before the outside door__."`_ And he headed back inside, where his friends backed up a bit, and he didn't blame them since he still had the gun.

"It says I have to go to the backyard," Joey informed them as he headed to the back door, and he could hear them following him.

_`"Put the gun down."`_

Joey dropped the gun on the floor, glad to be rid of it.

_`"Take off the helmet and blow the bugle."`_

"Help me get this off," Joey requested and both Andrea and Dawn moved forward, undoing the buckle on the strap. He heard the demonic voice say _`"Goodbye, Joey"`_ as he yanked the helmet off, and he tossed it aside as quickly as possible. "Omigod," he gasped and ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair, relieved that he didn't have that thing _controlling_ him anymore. "Literally the _devil_ was speaking to me!"

Dawn immediately hugged him. "I'm just glad you don't have to wear that evil thing anymore," she told him, and he returned the hug before showing them the bugle.

"He said the next thing to do is to blow this," he informed them, but he kept an arm around Dawn's waist.

"Ok," said Andrea. "Everybody just be ready for something to happen."

"Ready?" Joey asked.

"No," Tyler moaned.

DeStorm rolled his eyes. "Just blow the damn bugle."

Joey shot him a look and then he blew the bugle once. A mere moment later, cannon fire echoed throughout the house, sending everyone into a state of flummoxed fear. "What's going on?!"

"Those are cannons!"

"Is it…" Tyler asked, pointing to the back porch. "That?"

Joey and Dawn turned and their jaws dropped when they saw through the back doors, two angry-looking armies were facing each on the porch: one of them was _clearly _a part of the Confederate army, while the other soldiers were wearing black cloaks, black armor, and eye shadow.

_`"__I don't care if we're the last people on the goddamn earth,"`_ the Confederate General, Cash, snapped. _`"We ain't gonna stop fighting!"`_

The leader of the other army glared daggers at his rival. _`"This is _our_ land__!"`_

"Should we hide?" Andrea wondered and the others hushed her, not wanting to be heard or seen by the two armies.

Unfortunately, the two leaders _did_ hear her question, and they both looked at the doors, spotting the group through the glass. Cash immediately pulled out his gun, pointing it at the group, and the other leader, drew his sword.

'_Aw crap!'_ the whole group thought._ 'We're _so_ screwed!'_

* * *

A/N: Danger, danger! Good news is that Joey isn't being controlled anymore, but that's the _only_ good news. Anyway, next update will be on Monday because I will be at Salt Lake FanX tomorrow and Saturday with my sister, Yami Faire. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	4. Chapter 3: TAKING SIDES

Escape the Night: A Nation Divided

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to_ Escape the __Night!_

I had a busy weekend with attending Salt Lake FanX with my sister, and we had a great time. Anyway, time to see what is going to happen now that the YouTubers are faced with two armies. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE: TAKING SIDES**

The group stared with wide-eyed fear at the two armies that were now facing them on the back porch of the mansion, and the only _thing_ between them was a pair of glass doors. They knew that if the Confederate General fired at them, the glass _wouldn't_ protect them.

"Might as well say hello," Dawn suggested and Joey nodded, removing his arm from her waist, and they cautiously opened the doors before stepping outside with their hands raised and their friends reluctantly followed them. "Um, hi there," she said with a nervous smile, "_please_ don't shoot us, we're unarmed."

"Yeah, we're just visiting," Joey added with a nervous smile.

Alex was the first to notice a certain amber-colored gem that the Confederate General was wearing on his coat. "He has a gem!"

Cash glanced at the gem and smirked, putting away his gun. "Oh, you want this?" he asked, gesturing to the gem while the leader of the Dark Army put away his sword. "You're gonna have to fight."

"Could you just _give _it to us, maybe?" Gabbie suggested hopefully.

Cash ignored her and focused on the rest of the group. "You're gonna have to get dirty," he informed them. "Now, see, the team that loses this here skirmish…one of them's gonna have to die. I don't see no other way."

The group was pretty sure that there were _other_ ways, but not with the Sorceress calling all the shots since this was her bloody game.

"Whose side are y'all fighting on?" Cash inquired, breaking their line of thought.

"What do you mean, 'side'?" Joey asked, sharing a confused look with Dawn and the others.

The leader of the Dark Army spoke up. "The Confederates are a weak lot," he stated with a heavy Japanese accent, and he paced the patio as he talked. "Join me, and we will crush them beneath our heels." And as he said this, he was focusing on Joey and Dawn for some reason that left them both feeling _very_ uneasy.

"The Dark Army will soon be returning to its forgotten myth it once crawled out of," Cash said with confidence. "Stick with me, and you'll live."

"Guys," Joey said in a soft voice so only his friends could hear him, "that's the only way we're going to get the gem. I think we should do it."

"Looks like," Dawn agreed, not looking forward to fighting _anyone_, much less her own friends.

Tyler nodded and his shoulders slumped. "We need the gem."

The general of the Dark Army stared at them, his face unreadable. "Then pick two captains," he ordered. "One for the Dark Army, and one for the Confederate filth."

DeStorm immediately raised his hand, a confident expression on his face, plus pride. "I'll be captain."

Alex looked ready to offer to be the other captain, but Joey spoke up first.

"I'll be captain, too," he said, looking at his friends while he went to the Dark Army side and DeStorm, smirking, went to the Confederate side. "I feel like it's important," he explained, "because you guys think I'm responsible for this."

The commander of the Dark Army put a hand on Joey's shoulder. "You will pick first."

Joey nodded and took a deep breath while looking at his friends, and he knew this wasn't going to be any easier then it would've been back in school. "I pick…Liza."

Liza was surprised to be picked first, but she was also glad that she'd been picked by Joey, especially after what they'd gone through in the ballroom. "The Dark Army, and you choose the brown girl?" she joked, going to his side, grinning. "Okay." And her grin grew when Joey snickered at the joke.

DeStorm snorted and looked at Gabbie. "Gabbie," he said, "you saved my life once. Why don't you come on over here?" And she practically ran to his side, hooking her arm with his.

Joey rolled his eyes and made his next choice. "I pick… Dawn." And she nodded, going to his side immediately.

"I pick Artie," said DeStorm, and Artie made a face, but he went to the Confederate side anyways.

Joey looked at who was left and he could tell that Alex was clearly hoping that he would be chosen to be on his side._ 'Sorry, but that's not going to happen,'_ he thought, although it _was_ tempting. "Tyler."

"Andrea."

And that left just Ernie, Tana, and Alex. The Dark Army commander and Cash whispered to each other, and the Dark Army commander spoke to Joey, once again putting a hand on his shoulder. "Because of the uneven numbers, you may pick two for your side."

"Why _him?_" DeStorm demanded angrily.

"Quiet, boy," Cash snapped. "You're lucky I didn't insist on someone other then _you _be captain." And DeStorm glowered at the Confederate General.

'_Great, no pressure,'_ Joey thought uneasily, looking at the remaining three and made his choice. "Ernie and Tana."

"Dammit," Alex muttered and while Ernie and Tana hurried to the left, he went to the right to join DeStorm's team, and he did perk a little when he saw the annoyed look that DeStorm was shooting at Joey, clearly he wasn't thrilled by the twist either.

Joey knew that Alex was disappointed with him, but he figured that it would cause tension on the other team, and he still hadn't really forgiven Gabbie for choosing DeStorm over Jesse.

"First," said the Dark Army general, and the team faced him as two of his men started putting red armbands on their right arms, "you need your colors."

Tyler was delighted to see that the armband matched his coat. "Oh! This goes."

"We don't wanna be up for elimination," Joey reminded his teammates. "We have to make sure that it's them." _'__And hopefully, DeStorm's team will self-destruct before it can even get off the ground__.'_

* * *

Cash and his men were given DeStorm and his teammates yellow armbands, and DeStorm was _confident_ that they were going to win, even with Alex on his team.

"All right," he said, facing his team. "So I'm the captain of this team, and what we gonna do is, we gonna win. We got the brains, we got the girls, we got the weapons, and we got the soldiers."

Alex nodded, knowing that he needed to put aside his anger for now and focus on the task at hand, and getting the next gem. "We're on the same team now, and if you need me, I'll step up," he promised. "But after this, we're back to enemies." And DeStorm nodded, agreeing to put their differences aside for the time being.

* * *

A/N: I was never a fan of the whole having the captains pick the teams during my school years since it was always likely that I would be picked last, and I would be targeted when it came to dodge ball. However, I will admit that I got good at catching the balls and passing them to my teammates since I wasn't the best thrower, but I did get good at dodging. I will see you all on Wednesday for the next chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	5. Chapter 4: CAPTURE THE FLAG PART ONE

Escape the Night: A Nation Divided

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the Night!_

It's a stormy day today here in Utah, and it's also been 18 years since the attacks on September 11th. Now, there are those who will insist on forgetting about what happen that dreadful day, but I choose not to. I choose to remember those who lost their lives in the attacks made by cowards, for those terrorists were cowards.

Ok, rant mode off, time to see what will happen to our favorite YouTubers now that they've had to split up into teams. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR: CAPTURE THE FLAG PART ONE**

The two teams went down either flight of stairs to the lawn that they'd been on earlier when taking out Dorian, and both Cash and the Dark Army commander had them stand on opposite sides of each other while Cash stood in the center.

"This is so sad," Joey remarked. "We're, like, against each other now."

"Gotta do what we gotta do," Alex replied.

Cash began explaining what it was they were going to do for the challenge. "This side is for the Dark Army," he explained, pointing at the side of the field where Joey's team stood. "_This_side of the estate…" He gestured to the other side. "…for them Confederates. The patio is no man's land and the medical station. The first team to find the location of the flag is the victor. You're allowed one person on each team to stay behind in their own territory and stand guard."

'Ok_, so we're playing Capture the Flag,'_ Dawn thought, surprised to hear this, and the others were surprised, too, that they would be playing a game from their childhood._ 'Of course, there's probably going to be a twist. There _always_ a twist.'_

The Dark Army Commander spoke next. "When in enemy territory, your armband can be torn off, and an enemy guest must escort you to the medical station," he informed both sides. "You must stay there for five minutes before you are allowed to rejoin the fight."

Cash went to DeStorm's team and gave them a card that had their "fighting orders" on it, and DeStorm read it. "'Confederate guests: your mission is to find five golden pegs hidden in Dark Army territory and then insert them in your warlock's chest, where you will gain the final item needed to recover the enemy's flag'."

"Got it," said Alex while taking off his coat since he figured that if they were going to be running around, he didn't want to overheat too quickly.

* * *

Joey took the "fighting orders" from the Dark Army Commander and read it to his team. "'Dark Army guests: your mission is to find five red pegs hidden in Confederate Army territory and then insert them into your warlock's chest, where you will gain the final item needed to recover the enemy's flag'."

"Not the worst twist in the world," Dawn remarked.

Joey nodded and they all jumped when Cash fired off his gun to start the game, and they scattered with some remaining in the Dark Army territory to stand guard, others to give the rival team a hard time, and the rest to locate the pegs in Confederate territory. This was made tough as the Confederate soldiers and the Dark Army soldiers starting fighting and killing each other all over the battlefield over and over again.

* * *

It wasn't long before Joey and Dawn were deep in Confederate territory and they were using the bushes for cover as they headed for a large wooden box, figuring that one of the pegs was probably hidden inside it. They crouched near the box and watched DeStorm, who was standing guard while the others were either looking for the gold pegs in Dark Army territory or trying to capture their rivals.

Just then, Tana ran by, calling out to DeStorm, having decided to cause as many distractions as possible for the other team. "Oh, DeStorm!" she called out in a honey-sweet voice, halfheartedly attempting to sneak past him. "You wanna get it? Huh? You wanna get it?" And, not wanting to pass up this chance, DeStorm immediately ran after her.

Snickering, Dawn and Joey grabbed the box, lifted it up, and they threw it onto the path, shattering it, and among the broken pieces of wood was a red peg. They were right! Joey snatched it up and they ran back to Dark Army territory side-by-side, laughing at the sight of Tana making a show of her shoes being untied and making it hard for DeStorm to get her to the medical station, having taken her armband.

They reached the warlock's chest at the same time as Tyler, who'd also found a red peg, and both he and Joey put the pegs in at the same time. Two down and three to go!

* * *

Andrea was deep in Dark Army territory, searching for the gold pegs, but it wasn't easy going, and so far neither she nor any of her teammates were having much luck, especially not with Ernie chasing Artie around in circles, taunting and teasing each other. When Alex suggested searching under rocks and everything, she eventually found a gold peg on top of a pillar.

She had to stand on her tiptoes to reach it, but she felt a rush of satisfaction as she slipped it inside her bodice and raced back toward Confederate territory to put it in the warlock's chest.

* * *

DeStorm, who'd _finally_ got Tana to the medical station, returned to the battlefield and checked on his team. "Do we have any pegs?"

"I found_ one!_" Andrea screamed, running up to the warlock's chest and dropped it into one of the holes. "I found it. That was exhausting," she sighed, dusting off her hands. "I'm out of shape." And then she went back to search for more pegs since the game wasn't over yet.

* * *

As the game of Capture the Flag continued, Tyler was searching for the next peg when DeStorm suddenly started chasing him and trying to grab his armband, but he kept grabbing his coat instead. Tyler was pleased that he was agile enough to avoid being captured while Joey managed to find a third peg in a tree and was already heading back to add it to the first two.

He _finally_ was able to escape DeStorm's clutches and laughed at the sight of Liza making of show of almost fainting when Alex caught her and hauled her toward the medical station, and even Alex was laughing while begging her not to go into rag doll mode.

* * *

Reaching the warlock's box as Andrea shouted out to her team to check the boxes and trees, Joey added it to the two pegs already there before heading back out to find more, snickering when he saw that Dawn was giving Artie a merry chase while Ernie was doing the same with Gabbie, distracting her from a gold peg that was just a few inches away from her foot.

* * *

After giving up on trying to catch Ernie after he ran off to mock someone else, Gabbie returned her attention to the sticks on the ground, trying to find a gold peg, which wasn't easy, and after a few minutes, she realized she'd been staring _at_ one of the pegs.

"_Seriously?!_" she grumbled, snatching it up and ran back to Confederate territory, adding it to the box. Two down and three to go.

* * *

Tana managed to find a red peg while Joey was escorting Andrea to the medical station, having caught her with Dawn's help, and she hurried over to Liza. "I need you to run," she said, pointing to their warlock's box.

Liza shook her head. "But I don't have one," she pointed out, having already spent five minutes in the medical station, and she wasn't too eager to go back so soon.

Tana shook her head and shoved the red peg into her hands. "No, I'm giving it to you."

"Oh," said Liza, seeing what her friend was getting at and shoved it up her own sleeve.

The two girls then ran in opposite directions, Liza back toward Dark Army territory, where Joey and Dawn were waiting by the box, hoping for another peg to be added, and Tana headed into the middle of Confederate territory.

"Guys! I found the peg! I found the peg!" Tana shouted and she was immediately captured by Alex, and she started giggling. "Omigod, my shoe's untied! Oh no!" She toppled over, and Alex burst out laughing as he had to drag her toward the medical station.

"I got you," he said between laughs, actually enjoying himself, and he laughed even harder when he saw Artie carrying Ernie over one shoulder fireman style, and the twins were laughing, too.

* * *

Liza wasn't entirely sure that she could make it back, so she passed the peg to Tyler. "Here," she said. "His name is George. Take good care of him." And she headed back to cause more distractions.

* * *

DeStorm was getting frustrated, especially when he saw Tyler add the fourth peg to the warlock's box, getting cheers from Joey and Dawn, and when Gabbie suggested searching the trees and boxes, he exploded. "Trees and boxes, my ass! There ain't no trees and boxes!" And yet there was a box _right_ behind him.

* * *

A/N: DeStorm there's a box right behind you for pete's sake! Man, talk about missing something obvious. I'll see you all on Friday with the next chapter to see who will win the Capture the Flag game. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	6. Chapter 5: CAPTURE THE FLAG PART TWO

Escape the Night: A Nation Divided

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the Night!_

I had mixed feelings about posting today because it's Friday the 13th, and while I'm not superstitious, I've already had a tough morning due to traffic issues. Anyway, time to return to the Capture the Flag game to see who will win and who will have to be voted for to go into the final death challenge to get the gem from Cash. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE: CAPTURE THE FLAG PART TWO**

After delivering Tana to the medical station _again_, Alex ran back down the stairs, disappointed that it looked like Joey's team was going to win, but when he spotted Liza, he decided to focus on his side instead. Sneaking up behind her, he ripped the armband off her arm and grabbed it. "Gotcha!"

And when she started acting silly, making it hard to take her to the medical station, he started laughing again. "Dang it! Don't go limp!" he pleaded, having laughed more in the past thirty minutes then he had since Lauren had been killed by the vampires.

* * *

"How many people are caught?" Tyler asked from Dark Army territory, glancing up at the medical station.

"Three!" Liza called out, Ernie waved cheerfully, and Tana was batting her eyelashes at the remaining players.

* * *

Although Gabbie was in Dark Army territory, she took a moment to nurse her bruises, unaware that Joey was sneaking up on her. She was _sore_, she was _tired_, she was _still_ hungry, and her feet were _killing her_. "My feet hurt," she moaned.

"You wanna go sit up there?" Joey asked with a grin.

"Joey, please!" Gabbie tried to run away, but he grabbed her around the waist. "Let me run just a little!"

"No! I've been running all day!"

Joey tackled her to the ground, but she put up so much of a fight that the whole thing dissolved into a wrestling match. "No!" she screamed, trying her best to keep her armband out of his reach, and then Dawn happen to run up and ripped it off her arm. "Hey!"

"Sorry, Gabbie," said the brunette cheerfully as Joey hauled the pouting Gabbie to her feet, "you're in time out." And they both escorted her up the stairs to the medical station._ 'And _that_ is for choosing DeStorm over Jesse.'_

* * *

Five minutes later, Alex had been searching for the gold pegs when Tana danced by, taunting him with her armband, and he couldn't resist grabbing her for the umpteenth time. When he tried to take her back to the medical station again, he realized that, like with Liza earlier, she was doing her best to slow him down.

"No!" He was trying to escort her to the medical center, but she had purposely gone into rag doll mode once again, and it was kind of hilarious. "No, don't go boneless on me! Don't you go boneless on me!" She laughed, and he laughed, too.

As Alex picked Tana up and carried her the rest of the way to the medical center, passing Artie who was running to the warlock's chest with their third gold peg, he was grinning from ear to ear despite himself.

'_Maybe there's hope,' _he thought and laughed when Tana suddenly grabbed onto the gate. "Don't grab the gate!" he laughed, prying her fingers free and then carried her up the stairs. _'__I lost Lauren, yeah, but the rest of my friends are still alive. As long as I've got them_…_'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Joey and Dawn had just reentered Confederate territory, which hadn't been easy since they had to avoid the fighting soldiers, and Joey noticed something red in a nearby lantern. They hurried over to it, and Joey opened it, finding the final red peg, which he grabbed.

"Guys!" Joey shouted as he and Dawn ran back to the warlock's chest to add it with the other four. "I found it! I found the last one!"

"Yes, Joey!" Tyler cheered.

Joey and Dawn reached the warlock's chest and their teammates gathered around as he inserted the peg into the final slot, and the chest popped open.

Tyler reached inside and pulled out a red container with gunpowder inside, which he handed to Dawn, and a note. "'The cannon on the patio has been authorized for your use. Soldier, pour in the powder and let her rip to reveal the enemy flag'."

Liza blinked. "What?"

"'Pour in the powder'," Tyler repeated and pointed to the cannon above them. "Come on!"

* * *

They all ran up the stairs, where the Dark Army commander was waiting for them, and they gathered around at the back side of the cannon, while Dawn carefully poured the gunpowder into the front end of the cannon, and they all grabbed the firing rope at the same time.

"Teamwork makes the dream work!" Tana declared.

"On three," said Joey.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"_Fire!_"

They yanked on the rope and the cannon fired off a blast that nearly deafened them, especially Dawn due to her sensitive hearing, causing the fighting below to stop when the fountain was almost destroyed by the blast, and they all cheered.

* * *

Down below, Alex was rubbing his aching ears and shook his head. "It's over."

DeStorm grimaced as a member of the Dark Army went to the fountain. "They won."_ 'Dammit! Why couldn't we have won?'_

"Jasper!" the Dark Army commander called out to one of his men, who was searching the fountain. "Do you see it?"

Jasper fished around in the water for a few seconds, and then he held up a white flag in his hand. "Got it!"

The entire Dark Army, including Team Joey, rejoiced. Joey took a moment to catch his breath and processed what just happened. _'We did it!' _he thought, grinning at Dawn, who grinned back. _'I'm not gonna die, and neither are Liza, Tyler, Dawn, Ernie, or Tana. Just this once, we managed to do the impossible. __We saved each other.'_

"Guys!" Tana squealed. "We did it!"

Liza jumped up and down like an overenthusiastic kid on a sugar high. "We're safe!" And they all did a triumphant group hug.

* * *

DeStorm _hated_ losing, especially since their _gold_ pegs had been so _freaking_ hard to find! They had _practically_ been the color of the dirt that _three_ of them had been lying on. Now they were following Cash up to the balcony where Team Joey was waiting with the Dark Army Commander.

Joey faced Cash, hoping to get the gem without having to do another vote. "We won. Can we have the gem?" he asked, holding out his hand.

Cash, however, shook his head. "Now, I said one of you losers is gonna have to die if you still want this," he sneered, gesturing to the gem on his chest. "Well, that ain't changed. Two people will have a little showdown. You have to vote."

"Guys, let's step inside," Joey suggested, disappointed.

And they filed into the mansion after Alison.

"Follow Alison," Liza muttered. "Per usual."

It was time for _another_ vote.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Team Joey wins! That's the good news, but the bad news is that there's now going to be a vote…again. I will see you all on Monday with the next chapter to see who will go into the final death challenge. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	7. Chapter 6: RACE FOR THE GEM PART ONE

Escape the Night: A Nation Divided

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the __Night!_

Yes, it's time for the next chapter and to see who will be voted into the final death challenge in order to get the gem from Cash. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX: RACE FOR THE GEM PART ONE**

The group returned to the lounge to decide on who to vote for, and both Dawn and Joey collapsed onto one of the couches, exhausted from all the running around earlier.

"I am _tired,_" Joey declared, and he hadn't been _that _tired since all the running around last year._ 'Of course, vampires hadn't been feeding on me last year either.'_

"Same here," Dawn agreed, rubbing her forehead since she was developing a headache from all the stress and the running around. "And this night isn't even over yet." She _was_ tempted to remove the contact lenses since her eyes were getting tired, but she didn't have anything to put them in, and she wasn't about to reveal to the others that she was near-sighted, which only Joey knew about.

Tyler nodded. "I know, but we live another day."

Alex surprised them all by standing up and facing DeStorm. "If you wanna go," he said in a strong voice, making direct eye contact with the black man, "we can go head to head. I've been waiting for this."

Joey and Dawn stared at Alex in shock, not having expected him to volunteer to go into a final death challenge of all things. "_Seriously?!_"

"He had the biggest hand in killing Lauren," Alex snarled.

When DeStorm opened his mouth, Joey spoke up in order to bring the argument to a close, primarily to save them all some grief since it was pretty clear that DeStorm was probably going to say that Lauren deserved to die, and he _really _didn't want to have to restrain Dawn from hitting him…_again_. "We'll do DeStorm. You guys do Alex. Settled."

"Shall we?" DeStorm sneered.

Alex didn't even blink. "Go first."

DeStorm calmly went over to where Alison was waiting with only the cards for his team, and he casually picked up one of The Novelist cards, handing it to her, and then he returned to his seat next to Gabbie.

Liza did try to give Alison the entire stack of Railroad Tycoon cards, but was told she could only pick one, and so she did, shooting DeStorm a look as she took her seat. Once they all had voted, and sat down, although Tana did make a point of deliberately stomping on DeStorm's foot, getting a grunt of pain out of him, Alison shuffled the cards and picked out the first one.

"DeStorm," she announced and no one was surprised, not even when the next card she chose was "Alex".

DeStorm stood up and faced Alex. "You're gonna join your girlfriend."

_"Damn,"_ Joey breathed.

"Death wish," Dawn muttered, looking between them. "_Serious_ death wish."

"That was shady as hell," Tyler agreed.

Alison gestured to them. "Right this way," she requested. "Everyone, follow me."

"Wait, we're gonna watch?" Dawn asked, surprised and Alison nodded. "Oh boy."

The group reluctantly got up and followed her out the door to head back outside.

* * *

It had _definitely_ gotten colder when the group returned to the balcony, where Cash was waiting for them, and he smirked when he saw DeStorm and Alex, almost as if he'd expected the two of them to be chosen for the final death challenge.

"Well," he commented, "look who it is. I figured it'd be you two lowlifes." He removed the gem from his coat and held it up. "You want this, don't you?" He then surprised them all by turning and hurtling the gem over the balcony.

"No!" the group shouted, but it was too late! They watched helplessly as the gem flew through the air and landed in the swimming pool. "_Seriously?!_"

Cash grinned at them, pulling out his gun. "First person to get the gem out of the pool keeps it," he explained. "The other's going to the firing squad." He raised his gun. "On my mark." He then fired the gun, making the group wince while Alex and DeStorm took off running down the stairs and back into the mansion while the others ran to the railing to watch to see who would reach the swimming pool first.

And that was when they saw that the bottom of the swimming pool was littered with gems of every shape, size, and color. "What?"

"Omigod!"

"Are you _kidding _me?"

"Shut up!"

Dawn groaned, covering her face with her hand. "Ooh, this is the _worst_ twist ever!"

* * *

Alex and DeStorm ran through the hallway, yanking off their clothes while trying to waylaid each other at the same time. When they reached the lounge, Alex had managed to get off everything except his pants while DeStorm had only managed to remove his coat and unbutton his shirt, and so Alex threw one of the couch cushions at him.

DeStorm caught the cushion and ended up falling flat on his back. "Hey!" And he struggled to get up while Alex ran outside.

* * *

Once he was outside, Alex heard his friends cheer as he dashed over to the swimming pool, where Cash was waiting, grabbed and put on a pair of goggles, and he dove straight into the deep part of the swimming pool.

He suspected that the gem had slid down that way, and yet all he could see were specks of colored lights since these were Victorian goggles instead of modern goggles._ 'Aw crap! How am I going to find that _gem_?!'_

* * *

When DeStorm finally reached the swimming pool, Alex had been searching for a good ten minutes, and after getting his goggles from Cash, he strolled into the shallow end of the pool like the classy man that he was, and he pulled the goggles on.

However, the second he began searching through the gems, he found a problem with the goggles, which were filling up with water, and Alex was having the same problem with the goggles, too.

Alex resurfaced to dump the water out of the goggles. "The goggles keep filling up with water."

"Tighten them!" Joey suggested.

"Hold them to your face!" Tana shouted. "Hold them to your face!"

DeStorm also resurfaced to take off his goggles, dumped the water out of them, put them back on, and then he kept searching.

This was going to take a while.

* * *

A/N: And the challenge to find the gem begins. I will post the next chapter tomorrow because I won't have time on Wednesday since there will be a lot going on that's family-related. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	8. Chapter 7: RACE FOR THE GEM PART TWO

Escape the Night: A Nation Divided

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the Night!_

It's time for part two of the swimming challenge to see who will find the gem first. Will it be Alex or will it be DeStorm? It's time to find out. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN: RACE FOR THE GEM PART TWO**

Another ten minutes had passed and up on the balcony, the majority of the group was shouting out encouragement to Alex, but Gabbie was focused _entirely_ on DeStorm.

"DeStorm!" Gabbie hollered. "Hold the goggles to your face!"

"Don't help _DeStorm!_" Liza hissed.

"Don't help him!" Joey and Dawn echoed, frowning at Gabbie.

Gabbie just glowered at them both before returning her attention to DeStorm, hoping that he would find the gem before Alex did.

* * *

Alex was still searching the deep end of the pool, but with water filling the goggles, it was slow going, and when he next resurfaced to dump the water out of them for what felt like the hundredth time. "Can we get new goggles?"

"Just go down and scoop!" Tyler advised.

"Yeah!" Joey agreed. "Scoop!"

"Scoop them out and set them on the side of pool," Dawn advised.

"I know, but there's _hundreds _of gems!" Alex complained.

"Well," Tyler said with a shrug, "you're not gonna get 'em by _not _doing it."

"Just keep scooping!" Liza insisted.

Although grateful that they were encouraging him and not DeStorm, Alex decided to climb out of the pool and stand on the side so that he could peer down into the water since the goggles were _literally_ useless.

"Alex, what's your strategy?" Liza inquired, wondering why he wasn't taking their advice to scoop the gems out of the pool to check them.

"I have to look from up here," Alex explained. "I can't see it from down there. I can't get in." And he protested when DeStorm started splashing the water so that he couldn't see the bottom of the pool. "Stop that!"

"Hey!" Joey snapped. "Come on, DeStorm! That's cheating!"

"Stop cheating!" Dawn shouted. "Stop it!"

Tyler considered that to be _really _shady on DeStorm's part, and he _really_ wanted to help Alex. He then got an idea and started to a chant-rap that got a few raised eyebrows from his friends. "You gotta scoop and check. Scoop and check. Scoop and check."

Soon the others started singing along, and down at the swimming pool, DeStorm stopped splashing the water and began dancing, even Alex was starting to dance along.

"Scoop and check. (That's right.) Scoop and check. (Okay.) Scoop and check. (Okay.) Scoop and check. (That's right.) Scoop and check. (Okay.) Scoop and check."

Encouraged by the song, Alex put the goggles back on, and he dove back into the pool. This time, he started scooping up handfuls of gems, and placed them on the edge of the pool so that he could check them over.

Seeing this, the group cheered, all except Gabbie, and they watched eagerly as Alex continued to scoop up gems and check them before going back for more.

* * *

While DeStorm was still searching the shallow end of the pool, and he was starting to realize that he couldn't remember what the gem looked like, not having paid attention to it earlier before the Capture the Flag game, or even before Cash threw it.

Alex was still searching the deep end of the pool, more positive then ever that the gem had to have rolled or slid down to that end after being throw from such a distance.

* * *

Time was ticking away and Joey was starting to get worried, especially since they didn't know how much time Cash was going to give either Alex or DeStorm to find the gem before he just decided to kill them both.

"This is like finding a needle in a haystack," he remarked.

Liza beamed at him. "Good analogy, Joey."

"Let's hope Alex can find the gem soon," Dawn said, keeping tabs on the Confederate General. "Cash is starting to look impatient."

* * *

After another ten minutes passed, Cash surprised everyone by giving Alex and DeStorm new pairs of goggles.

"_Finally_," Alex muttered, tossing aside the useless goggles and was putting the new ones on when his friends started shouting at him to hurry up since DeStorm already had the new goggles on and he was back to searching the shallow end of the pool.

Nodding, he dove back into the pool, resuming the scoop and check routine that was working so far, and the fact that he could see _much_ better with the new goggles, was helping _a lot_.

* * *

"Is Alex okay?" Joey wondered when Alex was under the water for a long time.

Gabbie shrugged. "I think he's just, like, tired," she guessed, watching DeStorm search the shallow pool still. "Especially the up and down and up and down."

"And holding your breath," Tana added.

Andrea bite her lip. "I mean, swimming's _exhausting, _dude."

"Yeah, it really is," Dawn agreed, sharing concerned looks with Joey, and they were both thinking of the time when they, along with Lele and Benny, had to swim around a pool to retrieve three dead bodies _and_ a chest, and that _had_ been tiring.

* * *

Meanwhile in the deep end of the pool, Alex was still searching for the gem, having to resurface every now and then to breath while checking the gems he'd scooped up, and he was _exhausted!_ But he _wasn't_ about to give up. As he kept searching, he soon came across an amber gem that seemed to be glowing with an almost ethereal light, and he _knew_ that this had to be it.

Grabbing it, Alex pushed off the bottom of the pool, swam upward, and he broke through the surface of the water, holding the gem in his fist with a victorious grin on his face. "Got it!" And the group cheered while DeStorm was looking disappointed. Ignoring the jerk, he climbed out of the pool and showed Cash the gem, positive that he was right.

Cash looked at the gem and nodded, getting more cheers out of the group. "The gem is yours," he announced with a neutral expression. "But holding on to it's gonna be a painful thing," he warned a tired yet triumphant Alex, handing him a brown leather pouch. And while Alex headed for the door, he turned to his soldiers, "Time for the execution."

"See you in _hell!_" DeStorm yelled after Alex with a furious expression.

"The execution?" Joey asked uneasily.

"Oh no," Dawn gasped. "We're going to _watch?_"

Cash pointed at DeStorm, who was still in the pool. "You, here please."

"Oh God," Dawn moaned and Joey held her close as DeStorm exited the pool and two members of the Dark Army flanked him, escorting him to the side of the pool facing the mansion._ 'I can't _stand_ watching people die,' _she thought, burying her face in Joey's coat. _'_Especially_ people that I know!'_ She wasn't a fan of DeStorm, especially with what he'd said concerning Lauren, but she didn't want to see him die either.

* * *

A/N: Well, we all know what will happen to DeStorm, and while I didn't like how he was acting toward the others during this season, especially how he treated Alex after Lauren got eaten by vampires, what happens to him is pretty brutal. I will see you all on Friday with the next chapter since I will be busy with a family-related appointment tomorrow, and I have work on Thursday morning. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	9. Chapter 8: EXECUTION AND CHOCOLATE?

Escape the Night: A Nation Divided

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the Night!_

Hi, so I said that I would next update on Friday, well that is happening today instead. The appointment went well, and the reason I'm posting the final chapter today is because I have two morning shifts at the movie theater tomorrow and Friday. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT: EXECUTION AND CHOCOLATE?**

_'Third time isn't the charm for me,'_ DeStorm thought as a third member of the Dark Army approached with a bow and a glowing green arrow._ 'Looks like I'm going down, and it's the fault of both Alex and the others for turning against me. Gabbie, you were my _only_ ally in all of this.'_

"Draw!" the Dark Army commander ordered and the archer drew the glowing arrow back. "And…_fire!_"

The archer let the arrow fly through the air, where it collided with DeStorm's chest, stopping his heart instantly, and his body fell backwards into the pool.

The group all gasped and grimace at the sight of their dead friend… well, he was a friend to Gabbie at least.

"Ouch," Tyler muttered, hating that he'd just seen someone he knew die.

Cash looked up at the group, noting their mixture of reactions to the execution. "Oh, everyone, don't look so sad," he scoffed. "Y'all are trying to tangle with the Sorceress. This ain't the _least _of what's coming your way." And with that, both the Confederates and the Dark Army marched off into the night, probably to find a new place to fight another battle.

"Not reassuring in the _slightest_," Dawn muttered as they all headed back inside to wait for Alex in the lounge, leaving DeStorm's body in the pool.

* * *

Alex was feeling _much_ better for wining the challenge and getting rid of DeStorm. Oh, he was sure that he would most likely feel the guilt later, but for now, he'd made DeStorm pay for what had happen to Lauren.

He beamed when he entered the lounge with a towel wrapped around his waist, hiding his soggy pants with the leather pouch strapped to his chest, and his friends all cheered when they saw him.

"Yes!"

"Alex!"

"Way to go!"

"You did it!"

"Great job, Alex!"

"Honestly," Joey praised, "you're my hero. Thank you."

Alex's face was aching from smiling so much as he added the gem to the map, which glowed yellow, and he knew that they were now closer to getting the crown and getting back to 2017. "Six gems left to find."

Andrea smiled. "We're getting there, you guys."

Alex patted the pouch and felt something inside. Curious of whether it was a clue that would lead them to the next gem, he reached inside the pouch and felt something. "Wait. There's something else."

"What?" Liza asked.

Alex pulled it out of the pouch and he was surprised to see that he was holding a wrapped chocolate bar of all things, and the group stared at it in confusion.

"Chocolate?"

"Chocolate?"

"_Chocolate__?_"

"Let's talk about the chocolate later," Tyler suggested and nodded to Alex. "Unless you really _intend_ on going the rest of the night shirtless, you should probably go change and we'll wait for you to come back."

Alex nodded, putting the chocolate bar back into the pouch. "Good point." And he left to find his clothes and change in the bathroom that Alison mentioned was just down the hallway.

The moment he was gone, Gabbie got up and went to the neat pile of clothing that had once belonged to DeStorm. None of the others tried to stop her, since they figured that she was going to do something with them in order to cope with DeStorm's death, and she scooped them up before exiting the room, too.

"Gabbie's taking DeStorm's death _really _hard," Artie remarked.

"Give that we just saw him die, I can't blame her," Dawn remarked. "And it's just going to get harder before this night is over." And the others agreed, although a few of them chuckled when Joey decided to use her shoulder as a pillow, the stress and exhaustion catching up with him, and she told them to shut up.

'_I'm surprised Joey hasn't passed out before now from the blood lost,'_ Dawn thought as the others chatted quietly and Tana went to check on Gabbie._ 'Add in all the running around and the liquor earlier, he needs to get some rest, and this is the best time to do it until Alex, Gabbie, and Tana all get back. Of course, once they get back, we'll have to figure out the chocolate bar clue that Alex found in that pouch.'_

To Be Continued…

* * *

_I have so many, so many regrets._

_So many lies, so many broken ties._

_I wish for my old life._

_Wish I could fix my strike._

_Cause no one truly escapes the night._

_Oh, won't you help me escape the night._

_Oh baby help me escape the night._

_Escape the night._

* * *

A/N: RIP DeStorm, and while you were a bully, you were a decent guy some of the time. I will see you all on Monday with the start of the next episode. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


End file.
